As you're looking for new work, be sure to stay away from Chiangrai Rajabhat University. I have worked here for several years, and I'm finally on my way out. When I first began working here, the working conditions were very comfortable. I was given university classes to teach, and I taught them---the same as any teacher. However, within the last year and a half, things have changed. We have been given increasingly more children's camps, and a new "project" here has been to farm us out to local high schools to teach.

This might seem fairly normal for any school, but the administration is now also requiring us to do research and publish in a Thai educational journal. Also, we are given surprise work evaluations in which we have to fill out the work we have done to the date. As far as other evaluations, there are none...other than your personal relationships with the administration.

I have no problems with performing menial adminstrative tasks such as research, but only if we are treated as university teachers. At the Rajabhat, there is only one foreign teacher in the Faculty of Humanities. That teacher's job is clear...teach Rajabhat students. However, there are about five other foreign teachers working for the Language Institute, and their work is not as clear. Those teachers teach Rajabhat students as well, but they are not under any faculty per se, so they are free to be sent anywhere, such as high schools.

I know I'm coming off as any grumpy old teacher who is disgruntled about his work, but I know when I first began looking for work, this board gave me a chance to check out what teachers' opinions of certain places were. On the positive side, Chiangrai is a wonderful city, and I hate to leave here. If you're just looking for a quiet place to live, Chiangrai is the place for you. If you are, however, looking for university work, finding a place for a longer term teaching experience is almost impossible.

just curious, but has any reason been offered for these changes in conditions? Higher learning is now being transformed here as instit'ns become more independent of the Ministry, though I'm less clear on the changes at Rajaphats.

What does your contract say is required? If you are on the type of contract used for public unis, then it should specify the conditions clearly. Are they in contract violation?

It can be hard to protest against people presenting warm smiles, but really, unless you have politely resisted, people are people, and they'll just squeeze as much as they can get. What if your replacement is hired on the same contract but refuses these adverse conditions? Will they just stop hiring foreigners, or be forced to back down and keep the new guy on while you're on the street?

I know I'm coming off as any grumpy old teacher who is disgruntled about his work, !

You're not coming off that way at all. This is Thailand. There are no standards, no ethics and they will use you anyway they want to use you and will expect anything and never give you anything back in return.

I know I'm coming off as any grumpy old teacher who is disgruntled about his work, !

You're not coming off that way at all. This is Thailand. There are no standards, no ethics and they will use you anyway they want to use you and will expect anything and never give you anything back in return.

That's how I perceive the OP's comments, too.

Teaching children's classes during the breaks? WTF???? At a university? Being farmed out to high schools? University professors????? Again, WTF???